


Nice To Look At

by digthewriter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst, HP: EWE, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-16 03:18:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11245230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digthewriter/pseuds/digthewriter
Summary: Neville likes Blaise. Blaise likes Neville. But the remnants of the war keep coming in the way.





	Nice To Look At

Neville had kept it to himself because, after all, he was a Slytherin. Even if after the war he was considered a hero, the memories of how it'd been for him when he was younger hadn't left him. He was still shy. 

He was still in the closet. 

"How are you the only one in our house without a date for the ball, Neville?" Ginny asked him one evening after dinner as they were walking back to the Gryffindor tower. She was going to the ball with Luna, and had consistently harassed Neville to ask someone already. 

"I..." Neville paused when _he_ walked by. He tried not to make eye-contact with him, yet, trying to act casual was failing him miserably. 

"No...are you serious?" Ginny asked, sounding scandalised. 

"Why is Harry dating Draco Malfoy not alarming to you and me—" Neville rolled his eyes and kept walking. 

"And you what, Neville?" 

"Me nothing, Ginny." 

"Neville..." Ginny stalked walking and pulled on Neville's elbow. "Do you fancy Blaise Zabini?" Her voice was a mere whisper and he had to thank her for that. Of all his Gryffindor friends, this one actually knew how to keep a secret. If they both had been straight, things would have worked out differently for them. But Ginny belonged to Luna, she always had, and Neville...? He belonged to nobody. 

"I don't know if I fancy him, okay," he finally admitted because he hated lying to her. She always told him everything. "I just think..." He shrugged, "he's nice to look at, is all." 

"And he's a Pureblood who hates—" 

"I know. But..." He made a face, trying to bite his tongue. 

"Draco Malfoy," Ginny said. 

"Draco Malfoy," replied Neville. 

After the war, the stories of the Malfoy family, especially Draco and his mother, had circled the wizarding world. Harry had stood up for them time and time again. Draco had refused to identify Harry at the mansion, and Narcissa had liked to Voldemort about Harry being dead—despite their pureblood ways, they had done the right thing in the end. They'd sided with the light. 

If Draco could change—so could the others. Pansy Parkinson had apologised for her actions, and paid the price with volunteer work with the reconstruction of Hogwarts. So how could they harbour a prejudice against Zabini, or Nott, or Goyle? 

"You could just ask him," she said. "I hear he's bisexual." 

Neville rolled his eyes. "Bisexuals. They're worse than straight boys. At least with straight boys, you know they _will_ settle down with a girl. Bisexuals just string you along..." 

"Hey, Luna is Bi." 

Neville laughed. "But Luna loves you. She's not bisexual, she's Ginny-sexual. She's always been." 

Ginny shook her head and they continued walked down the corridor until they reached the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room and Neville tried to forget he'd seen Zabini. That Zabini had looked at him and smiled and Neville'd all but ignored him. 

Again.

(—)

"So, this has got to stop," Malfoy said sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, right across from Neville.

Neville didn't look up at first because he'd not realised Malfoy was talking to him. "I'm sorry, what?" 

"You and Blaise." 

Neville narrowed his eyes and he looked around the table until his eyes landed on Ginny, she shrugged as if she'd no idea what was going on. 

"I'm sorry but I don't follow." 

Malfoy raised his hands in frustration. "Blaise likes you. You...exist—" 

"Draco..." warned Harry. 

"Fine, sorry. Oh killer of the evil snake—" 

"Draco!" 

"Oh for crying out loud! Will you please look at my friend Blaise for more than 10 seconds so he can figure out if you fancy him or not because if you're gay and he's gay and you don't have a date for the ball and he wants to ask you but he thinks you hate him because of _the incident_ —" 

"You mean the little thing called the war where your kind tried to kill me and my family and friends—" 

"Neville..." Harry said with a hand on his shoulder which earned him a glare full of daggers from Malfoy. "I'm sorry about this." He smiled at Neville softly and then tugged on his elbow as he stood up. "Walk with me?" 

Neville followed him leaving their friends and Malfoy behind. 

"I don't know..." was all Neville said until they left the castle and walked to the lake. It was cold out and the lake had nearly frozen over. Harry placed a warming charm around them and Neville was impressed at how he could now do wandless magic so effortlessly. 

"Don't you think we deserve just a bit of happiness?" Harry asked. 

"It can't be this easy," Neville said. "I mean, they sided with Voldemort and their friends...they hurt us, Harry. His followers hurt my parents—" 

"Yes, but not Blaise. Do you think Draco, or Parkinson, or any of the other Slytherins from our year had a choice? It was their parents' actions which hurt all of us. Blaise didn't want to side with the Voldemort, just like Draco, or Theodore Nott. If you're hesitating—" 

Neville laughed, running a hand through his hair. "He's nice to look at. That's all." 

"Well, that's a start." 

Neville still wasn't convinced. "What am I—how am I even supposed to ask him to the ball? I didn't know he fancied me. I didn't know anything. I can't just—" 

"You're a Gryffindor, right?" Harry asked. "Just go and ask him. He'll say yes. You know he will because he sent Draco to do his bidding. It's just a dance, and he's nice to look at. In the end, if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, but at least you'll get a snog or two in with a really hot Slytherin." 

"If Draco heard you say that—" 

"He'd have my balls. I know." 

They laughed until their stomachs hurt and made their way back to the Great Hall where everyone was still hanging out and eating dinner.

"So? What's the verdict?" Malfoy asked, sounding impatient. 

Harry smiled but didn't say anything. He kissed the top of Malfoy's head which only made Malfoy look even more annoyed. 

"It's my decision, and I'll do it when I'm ready," Neville said. 

"Well, don't wait too long, Longbottom. You might lose your chance," Malfoy challenged. 

"Yeah?" Neville retorted. "If there was a challenge to lose, he wouldn't have sent you to me. Tell him to wait. I want to see how long he will." 

Malfoy raised and eyebrow and dare Neville think it, looked impressed. "Well played, Neville." 

Neville winked and looked at Harry. "I learn from the best."

(—)

In Potions, which Neville still hated, he arrived early to set up his working station. Much to his surprise, Blaise was already there.

"Hello," he said to Blaise with a nod, and walked directly to his spot. 

"Neville," Blaise said, sounding confused. "Don't you usually come in with your fanclub?" 

Neville chuckled lightly. "Yes, but we have a test coming up and I wanted to be prepared. If I don't learn to set up the ingredients on my own, I'm afraid I'd fail, and well, Professor Sprout doesn't have time for failures." 

"Right...you're into Herbology. I think I knew that." 

"Oh, did you?" Neville asked, amused. If you were blind, deaf, and mute at Hogwarts, and didn't know anything about anything, you'd know Neville was _into_ Herbology. It was all he talked about. It was practically published in the _Prophet_ under his biography after the war. "And let me guess, you're probably going to take over the family business." 

"Wow, you really hate me, don't you?" Blaise asked. 

"Of course, not." 

"Every time you talk about me, or my friends, or our families—" 

"Well, they did drive my parents mad," Neville said. No he wasn't bitter. Not bitter at all. 

"Not all Slytherins are bad," Blaise said. "I'd hoped you'd understand that." He sounded defeated and Neville felt like rubbish after that. 

"Shite, I'm sorry," Neville said, placing his cauldron on his station and coming around the table to walk up to Blaise. "Zabini, I really am sorry. I know you're not bad, and neither is Draco, or Nott or whatever—I should know. I should know better to get to know you first prior to passing any judgement, but, it's hard sometimes." 

They were so close to each other now, and all Neville wanted to do was reach over and touch Blaise. He'd wanted to do that for so long. He didn't know the boy that stood in front of him, not really, but he wanted to. All he wanted to do was take him into his arms and hold him. He'd had such a crazy attraction towards Blaise and didn't even know what it'd hit him. When had this mild crush turn into something so intense? Is this how Harry had felt about Draco? 

"It's all right. I deserve it." 

"Deserve what?" 

"All this hate. My family—" 

"No, you don't," Neville said. "Because if I just hate you for what your families have done, then how does it make us any better? How can we move on?" 

"I like you, Neville," Blaise said, taking a step close to him. Looking nervous. And absolutely adorable. "I think you're...sexy." 

Neville grinned at him then. "Yeah?" 

"Yeah. I thought it was adorable you wandered the halls because you'd forgotten the password to the Gryffindor Tower. I wanted to tell you to spend time with me then. When I saw you in the library with your friends, I wanted you to sit next to me and study. When I heard you were the hero that literally ended the war—you'd killed the snake—I was so happy and proud. It sounds ridiculous. I was an arsehole but I fancied you and I didn't even know it." 

"I always thought you were nice to look at," Neville said, internally rolling his eyes at himself. Honestly, that was all he could come up with?

"Well, you're quite nice to look at too." 

Neville diminished the distance between them and placed his arm over Blaise's shoulder, pulling him close. Their lips met in a tentative kiss, as they both were trying each other for size for the first time. 

Until then, Neville had never kissed a boy, and Blaise's full lips left him wanting more. He bit and sucked on Neville's lower lip, and Neville moaned, his body all but moulding against Blaise's. Why hadn't he done this before? Why had he waited for so long? 

" _If you'll all please take your places..._ " 

Slughorn's voice echoed through the room and Neville and Blaise quickly broke apart. When Neville turned around, tearing himself away from Blaise's embrace, he realised the entire class was there and they were staring at them. Some in shock, or horror, and some with a smug smile on their face. 

_Bastards_ , Neville thought and shook his head; he went back to his working station. 

Half-way through the class a parchment reached his desk, and when Neville opened it, he realised it was a note from Blaise.

_> >So does this mean we're going to the ball together?<<_

Neville smiled to himself and locked eyes with Blaise to give him a quick nod. Yes, he'd be going to the ball with Blaise Zabini. He'd be doing a lot more things, if he could help it.

Clearly, he was no longer in the closet. Not after how his entire Potions class had seen him in arms with Blaise Zabini.

* * *


End file.
